Carnahan, GOP challenger battle over financial disclosures

The Republican challenging Rep. Russ Carnahan (D-Mo.) filed
his financial disclosure form 300 days late after requesting three extensions.

Republican Attorney Ed Martin and Carnahan are engaged in an
intense campaign in which they’ve traded accusations about ethics.

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Martin has criticized Carnahan for failing to report the
existence of two limited liability corporations (LLCs). The first was organized
for the purpose of owning and operating a 42-foot Chris-Craft cabin cruiser;
the second was to develop the former Castle Ballroom.

Neither LLC was used, and Carnahan dissolved them in mid-May
following media reports, filing an amendment to his financial disclosure forms.

The Carnahan campaign argues that Martin’s repeated request
for extensions and failure to file his disclosure form for nearly 300 days is
far more serious.

Martin campaign spokesman Theresa Petry attributed the
delays to Martin’s first-time candidacy and commitment to wanting to ensure he
filed the forms correctly.

“As a first-time candidate, Ed Martin wanted to make sure he
indeed disclosed everything the committee requested, unlike his incumbent
opponent,” she said.

Federal law requires every House candidate who has raised
$5,000 to disclose the details of those finances in a form submitted to the
House ethics committee. Candidates must do so within 30 days after raising
$5,000 or by May 15 of the calendar year in which the $5,000 threshold is
reached, whichever is later.

The panel sent the Martin campaign a letter in early July
informing him of the financial disclosure requirement. In the letter, the panel
said it would grant “reasonable” extensions of time for filing as long as the
request was made in writing, signed by the candidate and submitted on or before
the due date, but the total of extensions for one calendar year could not
exceed 90 days.

In a follow-up letter, the ethics panel reminded Martin of
the requirement and said any failure to file within 30 days of the due date
could result in a $200 filing fee. The Justice Department also could file a
civil action against anyone who “knowingly and willfully” fails to file a
report that could result in an $11,000 fine, the letter said.

Martin, a former chief of staff to then-Missouri Gov. Matt
Blunt (R), repeatedly wrote the ethics panel seeking further guidance and
extensions. He eventually filed the completed financial disclosure form April
29, nearly 300 days after reaching the $5,000 threshold.

In letters to the ethics committee, Martin said he needed an
extension of 60 days because he was a “private citizen who is running his own
business.” He later followed up with a request for a 90-day extension, saying
he had just officially declared his candidacy Sept. 30.

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“Before that, I was testing the waters and trying to
decide,” he wrote. “I am a private citizen with my own small business and
family (wife, three kids).”

In early February, Martin again wrote the ethics committee
apologizing for the delay in filing, attributing it to his inexperience in
running for office. He also asked a number of follow-up questions about the
process, including whether his wife had to list all the boards on which she
holds a position.

“In good faith, we are making all of this available for all
— especially the public — to review,” he wrote. “Although we found the process
difficult and somewhat tedious, we are convinced of its importance; the public
deserves to know exactly what their elected officials have and what conflicts
may exist.”